"We'll sue them directly in court!" After a whole morning of hassle, He Chao couldn't even get through the door and had to leave dejectedly, having been blocked for a long time just at the entrance.
He Chao, with a flushed face and immense anger, then declared.
The reason, naturally, was He Chao's refusal to cooperate with the registration. In He Chao's view, what was his status? He was a senior executive from the head office, a special representative sent to investigate Jiangnan Group's loans. They should have been fawning over him, treating him with utmost respect, fearing to offend him.
Moreover, Governor Wang had already registered, which was enough. Jiangnan Group was clearly making a mountain out of a molehill.
But there was none. An old man blocked him completely. Unless everyone registered, he absolutely wouldn't be allowed in, and the door wouldn't be opened no matter what.
He Chao was also displeased, and thus the two sides clashed. It went on for an entire morning, nearly three hours, almost time for lunch.
In between, He Chao attempted to enter through different gates. After all, Jiangnan Group's current headquarters were located in a development zone on the outskirts of Wenzhou. Due to Jiangnan Group's immense scale, they had acquired a vast piece of land, so large that it took ten minutes to drive around it.
For convenience, the entire headquarters had eight gates, two in each direction, to facilitate employees' access and swift arrival at their workstations.
As a result, He Chao tried all eight gates. All the security guards demanded that the investigation team register completely, including their names, ID information, employers, contact numbers, and addresses. Just writing them down took several minutes.
What's more, if they switched gates, Governor Wang, who had already registered, wouldn't be sufficient; everyone had to re-register.
This left He Chao completely helpless. Faced with the choice between obediently conceding and registering for entry into Jiangnan Group or turning around and leaving, He Chao chose the latter. In his opinion, Jiangnan Group was making a desperate struggle.
"Jiangnan Group has definitely misappropriated this loan, and they are completely unable to repay it!" He Chao said to someone on the phone on the way back, his voice calm.
"Although the investigation was not successful today, we can see the whole picture. Jiangnan Group's blocking us at the door with such ridiculous reasons and excuses is aimed at preventing our investigation and their delusional hope of delaying the matter, or even letting it fizzle out. It's simply laughable!"
"I believe we should be firm and directly apply to the court for an investigation, letting the court handle it, so that Jiangnan Group has nowhere to hide!" He Chao suggested fiercely over the phone. "If they have the ability to stop me, do they also have the ability to stop the court?"
After a while on the phone, He Chao hung up, a pleased smile on his face. It seemed his plan had received approval from a certain leader.
"Leader, we haven't reached the point of calling the police and going to court yet!" Governor Wang sighed and said, "Once we go through the court process, it will take at least half a year to resolve this matter, and we'll have even less hope of recovering the loan and investment."
"Heh heh! Governor Wang, are you in cahoots with Huang He?" He Chao chuckled, suddenly asking, which immediately made Governor Wang sweat profusely.
This He Chao was not as simple and brainless as he appeared.
"If no one tipped him off, how could Huang He have blocked us at the door and prevented us from entering without even receiving the news?" He Chao continued to ask.
"I don't know..." Governor Wang glanced uneasily out the window.
"Old Wang, you've been with the company for quite a long time, and it must be tiring. I think it's time for you to retire and hand over your work to more ambitious and diligent young people!" He Chao said indifferently.
"Representative He, you don't have the authority to make a provincial bank governor like me retire! Besides, in terms of rank, you are one level below me!" Governor Wang looked at He Chao with a stern gaze.
"Yes! Yes! Yes, therefore, our head office believes that a talent like you should go for further self-improvement and serve the company better. So, please pack up. The company has already booked your tickets. You will go to Beijing for three months of advanced study tomorrow. The specific work here will be handled by several deputy governors!" He Chao said calmly.
"..." Governor Wang fell silent, seemingly unwilling to accept this situation.
"Governor Wang, this loan was your responsibility. What will you do if it becomes a problem in the future?" He Chao asked with a smile. "Why not go and study? That way, you can extricate yourself from this vortex of trouble. Even after retirement, you can live a peaceful life. Isn't that good?"
"Fine!" Governor Wang forced a stiff smile, and He Chao's face showed a triumphant grin.
—
"That's the situation. I've been transferred to Beijing for studies and can't help you anymore!" That evening, in a small teahouse in Wenzhou, Governor Wang sighed and recounted the day's events to Huang He.
"I underestimated this He Chao!" Huang He said thoughtfully after listening. "He's not as stupid as he appears. Everything is within his calculations!"
"Uh..." Governor Wang was stunned.
"Do you think the head office would send an impulsive idiot to handle a $1 billion issue like this?" Huang He sneered. "In fact, He Chao's task today wasn't to investigate, but to mess up the investigation. I estimate that the moment he heard the guards blocking him and demanding registration, he must have been overjoyed. This was exactly what he intended!"
"You mean He Chao doesn't plan to investigate at all? He intends to sue you directly through legal channels!" Governor Wang finally understood and said with sudden realization. "But why? This would be more troublesome. By pressuring you like this, you'll be even less able to repay the money, and the head office will be even less likely to recover the $1 billion. This is the most foolish decision."
"Indeed, it sounds very foolish, but if your head office doesn't intend to get the money back, but rather to acquire the entire Jiangnan Group, then it's a very wise decision!" Huang He said calmly.
"Intend to acquire the entire Jiangnan Group?" Governor Wang finally reacted. "You mean, the head office's goal is to directly swallow Jiangnan Group, which you used as collateral for the loan!"
"Yes, I think that's the fundamental purpose of your head office!" Huang He sneered. "Last year, to borrow this $1 billion, I pledged the entire Jiangnan Group as collateral to borrow money from your head office. Now, if I can't repay the debt, then according to the agreement, the entire Jiangnan Group will be repossessed by your head office, and you can then swallow all of Jiangnan Group's assets."
"That's quite a good calculation!" Governor Wang's mouth hung open.
It was known that when the loan was taken out last year, Jiangnan Group only had Jiangnan Blind Boxes and 00 Group as profitable assets. At that time, Jiangnan Group's annual sales were only slightly over 1 billion RMB.
To obtain the loan, collateral was required, so Huang He pledged the entire Jiangnan Group to secure the massive $1 billion loan.
But now, it was different. Jiangnan Group's blind box business continued to develop, its online business was number one in China, and there was the newly emerging Jiangnan Optoelectronics, Jiangnan Servers, and the Jiangnan Group's heavily promoted Jiangnan Electronic Technology Industry Development Alliance. These entities had increased Jiangnan Group's valuation by more than several times.
Although Forbes magazine had not yet released its latest ranking of Chinese enterprises, according to estimates by some professionals, Jiangnan Group's valuation was at least over $3 billion.
Therefore, if Jiangnan Group could not repay the loan at this time, according to the loan agreement, GS Bank could take over Jiangnan Group as collateral. By spending $1 billion, they could acquire Jiangnan Group, valued at $3 billion. This was truly a profitable and well-calculated deal.
"So that's why He Chao was so eager to sabotage the investigation and go directly to legal proceedings!" Governor Wang murmured. "Although it might take more than half a year for the court to make a final judgment, as long as the case is filed, they can directly apply for an asset freeze. All of Jiangnan Group's assets will be unable to be transferred, so you won't be able to use the tactic of 'crossing the river by stealth' to transfer all of Jiangnan Group's assets."
"Exactly. That's why I said this He Chao is very smart. He grasped our problem in the fastest way and then used the excuse of our refusal to investigate to directly file a report. If you hadn't come to find me today, we probably wouldn't have known that all of Jiangnan Group's assets were frozen until a few days later when the court summons arrived," Huang He said.
"That's not right. If that's the case, He Chao shouldn't have said those things in the car and told me these things. Since he already knows about my relationship with you, he wouldn't have told me about his intention to sue in front of me!" Governor Wang was puzzled.
"Because He Chao is using you!" Huang He patted Governor Wang's shoulder. "He knows you have a relationship with me, so he also knows that you will definitely come and tell me about these things, and he must have people watching us in secret!"
"And once I learn about his plan to sue you from you, I will definitely transfer my assets overnight, moving my property before the capital is frozen."
"At that time, he can seize evidence of me transferring assets in secret and then present it as evidence in court. That way, not only will my transferred assets not escape, but I'll also end up in prison, losing control of Jiangnan Group. With Jiangnan Group leaderless, it will naturally be at the mercy of these people to carve up my wealth at will!"
"By the way, there's you too, Governor Wang. You won't be spared from the charge of tipping off. Even if you don't go to prison, you'll be completely fired, and you won't even get your retirement benefits. It's truly tragic!" Huang He said cheerfully, while Governor Wang felt his blood run cold.
"Too poisonous! Absolutely poisonous!" Governor Wang couldn't help but tremble all over.